Pagar la cuenta (no "por")
English says "pay for dinner", Spanish just says pagar la cena. Use por only with a price or reason: Pagué 20 euros por la camiseta. Handy phrases: ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?, Pago yo (I'll pay / my treat), pagar a medias (to split the bill).
Indicative tenses of pagar
Facts and things that happen: the tenses you'll use most.
Present indicative
| yo | pagoI pay |
|---|---|
| tú | pagasyou pay |
| él/ella/usted | pagahe/she pays |
| nosotros/as | pagamoswe pay |
| vosotros/as | pagáisyou all pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | paganthey pay |
Preterite indicative
| yo | paguéI paid |
|---|---|
| tú | pagasteyou paid |
| él/ella/usted | pagóhe/she paid |
| nosotros/as | pagamoswe paid |
| vosotros/as | pagasteisyou all paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pagaronthey paid |
Spelling change only in the yo form: g → gu before e (pagué), to keep the hard g sound.
Imperfect indicative
| yo | pagabaI used to pay |
|---|---|
| tú | pagabasyou used to pay |
| él/ella/usted | pagabahe/she used to pay |
| nosotros/as | pagábamoswe used to pay |
| vosotros/as | pagabaisyou all used to pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pagabanthey used to pay |
Present continuous indicative
| yo | estoy pagandoI am paying |
|---|---|
| tú | estás pagandoyou are paying |
| él/ella/usted | está pagandohe/she is paying |
| nosotros/as | estamos pagandowe are paying |
| vosotros/as | estáis pagandoyou all are paying |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | están pagandothey are paying |
estar + gerund
Informal future indicative
| yo | voy a pagarI am going to pay |
|---|---|
| tú | vas a pagaryou are going to pay |
| él/ella/usted | va a pagarhe/she is going to pay |
| nosotros/as | vamos a pagarwe are going to pay |
| vosotros/as | vais a pagaryou all are going to pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | van a pagarthey are going to pay |
ir a + infinitive
Future indicative
| yo | pagaréI will pay |
|---|---|
| tú | pagarásyou will pay |
| él/ella/usted | pagaráhe/she will pay |
| nosotros/as | pagaremoswe will pay |
| vosotros/as | pagaréisyou all will pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pagaránthey will pay |
Conditional indicative
| yo | pagaríaI would pay |
|---|---|
| tú | pagaríasyou would pay |
| él/ella/usted | pagaríahe/she would pay |
| nosotros/as | pagaríamoswe would pay |
| vosotros/as | pagaríaisyou all would pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pagaríanthey would pay |
Present perfect indicative
| yo | he pagadoI have paid |
|---|---|
| tú | has pagadoyou have paid |
| él/ella/usted | ha pagadohe/she has paid |
| nosotros/as | hemos pagadowe have paid |
| vosotros/as | habéis pagadoyou all have paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | han pagadothey have paid |
haber (present) + past participle
Past perfect indicative
| yo | había pagadoI had paid |
|---|---|
| tú | habías pagadoyou had paid |
| él/ella/usted | había pagadohe/she had paid |
| nosotros/as | habíamos pagadowe had paid |
| vosotros/as | habíais pagadoyou all had paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habían pagadothey had paid |
haber (imperfect) + past participle
Future perfect indicative
| yo | habré pagadoI will have paid |
|---|---|
| tú | habrás pagadoyou will have paid |
| él/ella/usted | habrá pagadohe/she will have paid |
| nosotros/as | habremos pagadowe will have paid |
| vosotros/as | habréis pagadoyou all will have paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrán pagadothey will have paid |
haber (future) + past participle
Conditional perfect indicative
| yo | habría pagadoI would have paid |
|---|---|
| tú | habrías pagadoyou would have paid |
| él/ella/usted | habría pagadohe/she would have paid |
| nosotros/as | habríamos pagadowe would have paid |
| vosotros/as | habríais pagadoyou all would have paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | habrían pagadothey would have paid |
haber (conditional) + past participle
Subjunctive tenses of pagar
Wishes, doubts, emotions and "if" sentences.
Present subjunctive
| yo | pague(that) I pay |
|---|---|
| tú | pagues(that) you pay |
| él/ella/usted | pague(that) he/she pays |
| nosotros/as | paguemos(that) we pay |
| vosotros/as | paguéis(that) you all pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | paguen(that) they pay |
Same spelling change in the whole subjunctive: pague, pagues…
Imperfect subjunctive
| yo | pagara(if) I paid |
|---|---|
| tú | pagaras(if) you paid |
| él/ella/usted | pagara(if) he/she paid |
| nosotros/as | pagáramos(if) we paid |
| vosotros/as | pagarais(if) you all paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pagaran(if) they paid |
Future subjunctive
| yo | pagare(if) I pay |
|---|---|
| tú | pagares(if) you pay |
| él/ella/usted | pagare(if) he/she pays |
| nosotros/as | pagáremos(if) we pay |
| vosotros/as | pagareis(if) you all pay |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | pagaren(if) they pay |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Present perfect subjunctive
| yo | haya pagado(that) I have paid |
|---|---|
| tú | hayas pagado(that) you have paid |
| él/ella/usted | haya pagado(that) he/she has paid |
| nosotros/as | hayamos pagado(that) we have paid |
| vosotros/as | hayáis pagado(that) you all have paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hayan pagado(that) they have paid |
haber (present subj.) + past participle
Past perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiera pagado(if) I had paid |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieras pagado(if) you had paid |
| él/ella/usted | hubiera pagado(if) he/she had paid |
| nosotros/as | hubiéramos pagado(if) we had paid |
| vosotros/as | hubierais pagado(if) you all had paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieran pagado(if) they had paid |
haber (imperfect subj.) + past participle
Future perfect subjunctive
| yo | hubiere pagado(if) I will have paid |
|---|---|
| tú | hubieres pagado(if) you will have paid |
| él/ella/usted | hubiere pagado(if) he/she will have paid |
| nosotros/as | hubiéremos pagado(if) we will have paid |
| vosotros/as | hubiereis pagado(if) you all will have paid |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | hubieren pagado(if) they will have paid |
rarely used: legal & formal texts
Imperative tenses of pagar
Commands and instructions.
Affirmative imperative
| tú | pagapay! |
|---|---|
| usted | paguepay! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | paguemoslet's pay! |
| vosotros/as | pagadpay! (you all) |
| ustedes | paguenpay! (you all, formal) |
Negative imperative
| tú | no paguesdon't pay! |
|---|---|
| usted | no paguedon't pay! (formal) |
| nosotros/as | no paguemoslet's not pay! |
| vosotros/as | no paguéisdon't pay! (you all) |
| ustedes | no paguendon't pay! (you all, formal) |
Practice pagar
Two quick exercises. No sign-up, no app: just you and pagar.
How to use pagar
Yo pago la cena.
I'll pay for dinner.
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
Pagué 50 euros por las entradas.
I paid 50 euros for the tickets.
¿Pagamos a medias?
Shall we split it?
Lo vas a pagar caro.
You're going to pay dearly for it.
Example sentences with pagar
- ¿Cuánto pagas de alquiler?How much rent do you pay?
- Pagué la cuenta antes de irme.I paid the bill before leaving.
- Ella pagó en efectivo.She paid in cash.
- Antes pagábamos menos.We used to pay less.
- Te pagaré mañana.I'll pay you tomorrow.
- Paga tú esta vez.You pay this time.
- No pagues nada hasta que lo veas.Don't pay anything until you see it.
- ¿Ya has pagado?Have you paid already?
Verbs like pagar
All -gar verbs add a u before e: llegar (llegué), jugar (jugué), apagar (apagué).
Frequently asked questions about pagar
Is pagar regular or irregular?
Pagar is regular, with a spelling change: g → gu before e (pagué, pague).
How do you conjugate pagar in the present tense?
pago, pagas, paga, pagamos, pagáis, pagan.
How do you conjugate pagar in the preterite?
pagué, pagaste, pagó, pagamos, pagasteis, pagaron.
Is it "pagar por" or just "pagar"?
Just pagar + the thing: pagar la cena. Use por with a price: pagué 10 € por esto.
How do you ask to pay by card?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
What is the past participle of pagar?
The past participle is pagado and the gerund is pagando.
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All 18 tenses of pagar, on one page.
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